France trained Ukrainian soldiers just before the Russian invasion
France has already spent around 120 million euros to help the Ukrainian army fight against the Russian invasion, according to information from L’Opinion. the beginning of the war, the French authorities refuse to communicate on the amount and the nature of the military assistance to Ukraine: our information is therefore neither erased nor invalidated by official sources. Other European countries have been much more transparent about the aid provided to Kyiv.
French aid is of several kinds. One of the most important contributions relates to satellite imagery. France has several observation satellites (Helios, Pléiades and CSO) which allow it to provide Ukrainian images several times a day to the general staff. It is likely that this will take place in close collaboration with the allies, in particular the Americans.
Light missiles. At the material level, France delivered at least three types of light missiles. Old Milan anti-tank systems (French-German manufacture) and Javelins, more recent machines acquired in the United States during the war in Afghanistan and stored since then. Mistral Very Short Range Anti-Aircraft Missiles (SATCP) were also supplied. We do not know the volume of these deliveries, but it is probably not very high, given the low ammunition stocks of the French army, pointed out by a recent parliamentary report.
The supply of its weapon systems was accompanied by the training of Ukrainian military personnel called upon to implement them. This took place before The beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24. “We did not sit idly by, even if we were not sure that Russia was going to attack”, assures a source familiar with the matter. It is unclear whether these trainings have continued since then and the conditions under which they were delivered.
In addition, fuel and uniforms were provided by France to the Ukrainian forces. On the other hand, no transmission systems: these are essentially from the United States, which thus ensures the security and control of the networks.
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